Program Spotlight- 1:1 Literacy Tutoring

A First-Time Tutor’s Perspective

Our Playhouse is so lucky to have incredible University students want to volunteer with us.

Due to their enthusiasm we are able to offer 1:1 Literacy Tutoring to a record number of participants at one time,  all virtually and ALWAYS free of charge to our participants!

Many of our tutors this session are tutoring for the first time. We provide all the training and support they need to be successful and ensure our Playhouse participants are working on appropriate level literacy activities.

Victoria has done an incredible job as a first time tutor and shares here perspective below.

Guest Blog written by Victoria E 

Hello everyone, My name is Victoria. I am a senior at UW-Madison studying Rehabilitation Psychology with a certificate in Chican@ & Latin@ Studies, hoping to work with children with disabilities.

This semester I am interning at GiGi’s as a Literacy tutor, and I love every second of it! I have always wanted to work with GiGi’s as I have heard of the center growing up as I have a sister that has Down syndrome. I have always had a deep love for my sister. Growing up, I had many responsibilities with caring for her. What stemmed from those experiences is my love and passion for working with individuals with disabilities. Growing up in a low-income house, I was given a lot of responsibility for taking care of my sister, and although at the time I was not aware of all the different skills I would learn, I have to contribute those to my sister, and I am thankful for that.

I have always wanted to work with GiGi’s Playhouse as they have been a great option and resource for my family to use. Still, since my family lives a decent amount away from Madison, it has been not easy to include within our schedule. However, I am interested in working with the center because of its commitment to providing resources and education to individuals with Down syndrome and being entirely focused on them.

With my time at GiGi’s, I have learned a lot, and being a tutor has challenged me in many aspects. Due to COVID, all programs are virtual, which can have its challenges; however, after a couple of weeks, I have the hang of the available tools. With literacy tutoring each week, I have to create a specific lesson plan specific to my students, and each week comes to its challenges. Coming up with a lesson plan is a relatively new concept to me. However, I am enjoying it each week as I can focus on what aspect I want my student to focus on that week.

Overall, I am loving working at GiGi’s Playhouse. I have learned how to be more patient and ask questions when I am having a hard time. I have enjoyed working with my student, and I look forward to continuing to work with GiGi’s in the coming months. I find that my experience with my sister has helped me tremendously in working with individuals with Down Syndrome and has continued to influence my life to this day.